This winter has brought several bouts of much-needed moisture in the form of snow to Colorado Springs, and as I’m scheduling this post, portions of the Rocky Mountains are waiting with bated breath for the next wintry wave predicted to drop two-plus feet of the white stuff. The brutal arctic blast that swept through North America in mid-February and wreaked havoc across wide swathes of the country also dropped the temperature into the subzero range along the Front Range of the Rockies, but otherwise thermometer readings have been mostly seasonal.
Without belittling the loss of life or damage caused by broken pipes and power outages from severe winter weather (if you, your neighbors, friends, or family were effected, I hope things have returned to normal by now), I find that precipitation takes on a magic of its own when it arrives in the form of snowflakes. Depending on light, wind, and humidity, the resulting effects and moods vary widely. To walk under a bluebird sky through freshly fallen snow, hear and feel it crunch underfoot, and see the sparkle and glitter of myriad ice crystals is an experience I don’t want to miss. I enjoy the sense of adventure when I’m the first to break trail, when I tread where no one else has tread before, at least no other human.
Whether the trees are flocked with cotton-like puffs, whether mist or fog conspires with temperature to create a rime-crusted reality, whether Artist Winter has applied a whimsical brush, the stage is set for a wonderful show. Without further ado I will let you take in some of winter’s displays.
Das sieht noch richtig nach Winter aus. Hier ist alles schon wieder weg.
LG Jürgen
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Allerdings, und für das Wochenende ist der nächste Schneefall angesagt. Mal sehen, wieviel wir bekommen.
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Though we had a week of snow this year this is becoming a rare sight in my part of the world. I can imagine your joy stepping out to this, it’s beautiful.
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That’s sad, Brian. I like to experience different seasons and snow should be part of a proper winter. But a week of snow is better than no snow and I hope you were able to enjoy it.
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Der Schneeigel sieht toll aus 😀
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Das finde ich auch, liebe Andrea. 😊
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Such a paradox, the beauty and the brutality of snow. Could you identify the tracks? A hare, maybe, or a rabbit?
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Well said, Mr. P–the beauty on the one hand, the brutality on the other.
As far as the tracks are concerned, I’m not sure, but I suspect they were made by animals smaller than hares or rabbits. Mice maybe. I found the following website which shows a few tracks we can rule out, but doesn’t show any that resemble mine: http://www.naturetracking.com/the-5-most-common-animal-tracks-in-snow/
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So schöne Wintereindrücke! Hier blühen bereits die Krokusse.
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Auf 2,000 Metern dauert es noch eine Weile, bevor die Krokusse blühen. Jetzt sind wir erst mal gespannt, wie viel es hier am Wochenende schneien wird.
Liebe Grüße,
Tanja
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Yes, snow and ice storms are beautiful, even though they often cause much damage. I really like the photo in the lower left. A snow urchin?
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I love the idea of a snow urchin, Laurie. Some of my German readers were reminded of snow hedgehogs. Either creature sounds lovely.
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Yes, snow hedgehogs, too! What you see all depends on where you live, doesn’t it?
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Very true. I often wish we had hedgehogs. They are adorable, but so are urchins. 🙂
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Der Winter ist wirklich ein Artist und zaubert sogar Schneevögel in die Landschaft 😉
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Und meine Tastatur zaubert auch: sollte Schneeigel heißen 😁
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Schneeigel oder Schneevögel–ob vom Winter oder von der Tastatur kreiert–zaubern mir ein Lächeln aufs Gesicht.
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Tanja – This is a beautiful post. You captured the winter majesty perfectly in your photos. Thank you so much for sharing! -Jill
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Thank you, Jill. Snow has this inherent beauty, but as we all know to well it also has destructive powers.
I don’t know how much you are expecting near you, but I hope it will not be too much.
Stay well,
Tanja
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Tanja – We are blessed to have a really good snow base this winter. (Which hopefully means that we won’t have many or any forest fires this summer.) I personally would have liked a little more snow this winter. But am enjoying all that we have received. We are having an early spring. Will see if it continues. When do you usually see hints of spring in your area? -Jill
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I thought you might be affected by this weekend’s snow event, but it doesn’t sound like it. I’m glad you have a good base, though.
It already has started to feel like spring because of the lengthening days and singing birds. In front of the house the hyacinths and daffodils are pushing through the ground. So the signs are here, but snow and night frost can continue into May.
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You have beautiful natural terrains near your town. And you know how to enjoy yourself in them, and how to marvel at them.
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I am very lucky, Neil. Some of these places are actually in town, so I don’t have far to go.
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Lovely photos , I love snow and adore it when it is gone!
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A very ambiguous statement, Cathy, even though in some ways I can relate. 🙂
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This is a pleasant and eclectic set of winter views. From what you say about the weather forecast, you may well be showing more.
Your mention of treading through snow where no one else has trodden reminds me that when I was a kid growing up in New York I liked the purity of fallen snow in our yard and was always sorry when the first tracks appeared in it.
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I imagine these images look pleasant, after your recent not-so-pleasant experience with winter. If the two feet of snow materialize, it will make a dent in the drought, but it will be a nightmare for drivers and for a number of animals as wells, including some early migratory birds.
Fresh-fallen, pure snow is a pleasure to experience, I agree, and your reminiscences about having trodden made me check past participles of “to tread.” Tread, treaded, trod, and trodden” were given as possibilities, so my version wasn’t wrong, even if it’s not the most commonly used.
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Stunning images, Tanja.
I love the snow, but would hate to be caught out in it, or lost with no survival supplies.
There’s something about the purity and crispness of trudging through virgin snow that really appeals to me.
The winters that I spent up in the Victorian alps skiing in my twenties (or in Austria in 1978) are memories that I will always treasure.
I’d love to see some more snow-covered landscapes and/or close-ups please. 🙂
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Thank you, Vicki. I share your thoughts about not wanting to be caught in a storm without the proper preparation or equipment. And as beautiful as the snow looks and feels when the conditions are pleasant, it can be quite treacherous when they are not.
If we receive as much snow as is predicted, there might be more wintry photos. 🙂
By the way, I have not been able to find any of your blog posts. When I click on vickialfordnatureblog, I am told that it is no longer available. Are any of your other sites still active?
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Now, you’ve found the new nature/quote blog I see and of course, my B & W blog is still online even though I rarely post in it now.
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I was glad I found it, Vicki.
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I’ve never seen so much snow !!
have a great week end
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Really? That surprises me. Italy has many areas with a lot of snow, doesn’t it?
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yes, but in my City snow is very rare.
have a great Sunday
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Wunderschöne Bilder vom Schnee. Ja, wir hatten einen Rohrbruch bei Verwandten im Haus 😦 Das wird noch dauern, bis das wieder in Ordnung ist. Immerhin freue ich mich, daß ihr so viel Feuchtigkeit bekommt. Wir können es ja fast alle brauchen. LG Almuth
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Dankeschön, liebe Almuth, es freut mich, daß Dir die Winterszenen gefallen haben. Entschuldige die späte Antwort, der Kommentar ist durchgeschlüpft.
Das mit dem Rohrbruch ist natürlich sehr unangenehm, ich hoffe, er wird bald behoben und seine Folgen korrigiert sein.
Herzlichen Gruß,
Tanja
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Das hoffe ich auch, daß mit dem Rohrbruch. Es zieht sich. Ich hoffe, bei euch ist es jetzt schon ein bißchen wärmer? LG Almuth
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Das Wetter ist noch sehr gemischt, liebe Almuth, und sonnige und verschneite Tage wechseln sich ab. Aber wie Du weißt sind wir für alle Niederschläge hier dankbar.
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Ja, wer nicht. Hier hätte es auch noch mehr sein dürfen. Wir kriegen gerade ein paar warme Frühlingstage und daß ist auch mal schön. Aber Wachseregen darf auch noch kommen 🙂
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Great pics! Since I retired a few years back, I have really come to enjoy snow. (No worries about driving to work!) Animal tracks in the snow are so interesting.
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Having had to drive through blizzards more than once, I can completely relate to that sentiment. Snow it’s much nicer when it can be watched or walked in.
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Thank you for sharing these lovely photos
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I’m glad you enjoyed them, thank you for your lovely comment. 🙂
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The first photo reminds me of what’s known around here as the ‘Christmas Miracle’ — a wonderful, deep snow that arrived with frosted trees in 2004. It started snowing on Christmas eve, and areas along the Texas coast got inches and inches of snow.
The most perfect snow I ever experienced was in the Black Forest. I was staying at the home of a man who was bookkeeper at our hospital in Liberia. His parents had maintained their traditional home, and there were substantial woods around it. When I went out one morning for a walk in a new snow, the silence was stunning. I still can ‘hear’ it.
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The “Christmas Miracle” sounds far more appealing than the “February Nightmare” you just went through.
If only all snowfalls were of the miraculous kind!
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What a gorgeous landscape, Tanja. These snowy landscapes are so different from anything I’ve ever known, so I love seeing it through your eyes.
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I’m glad you liked our wintry scenes, Jolandi. I wonder if you might experience something similar now that you are in Portugal. I know that some region’s receive snow, but I don’t know if you live close to those.
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There is only some snow on Portugal’s highest mountain range the Serra de Estrella, and then it really isn’t much compared to other countries. Nowhere else in Portugal, except for a sprinkle perhaps. So no, sadly the winter scenes where you are, Tanja, is very unlike anything where I am, so I will just enjoy it through your eyes and lens. Still lovely and enjoyable that way.
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That’s interesting, Jolandi, thanks for sharing, I’m learning so much about Portugal from you.
Best wishes,
Tanja
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I absolutely love that first photograph, Tanja. It perfectly captures the magic of a snowy landscape. Despite our recent deep freeze, I still love to look at photographs of snow! ❄️
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Thank you, Kerry. I also love it when everything in sight is frosted over.
Let’s hope that what happened in February will not recur!
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It certainly won’t here unless it really is the Apocalypse!!! It is warm and humid with yellow pollen everywhere. Cough!!
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I have always considered allergies a cruel affliction. Just as nature is at its most beautiful allergy sufferers are at their most miserable. 😦
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I wasn’t allergic to anything until I moved to the States… The cold wind blew everything away in Scotland. 😃
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Very beautiful views!
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I’m glad you enjoyed the wintry views. Thanks for visiting and commenting.
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